Mechanical Engineering Program Research Articles

A Proposed Case Study of Teamwork in a Canadian Mechanical Engineering Program

This paper describes a proposed case study of teamwork in a Canadian mechanical engineering program. This study builds on the knowledge about teamwork that exists in the broad engineering education research (EER) community and seeks to highlight some variations in teamwork experiences that students, educators, and professionals have observed in engineering programs. The study will use social constructivism as a framework to analyze student experiences qualitatively and contextually. The study aims to address a gap in EER by considering students’ teamwork experiences in a holistic sense, at a program level. Through thick descriptions of teamwork, it is the overarching goal of this study to highlight facets of teamwork that are affected by program design, as well as to provide insight into aspects of students’ teamwork experiences that have not been captured by existing research approaches found in the literature. Specifically, this study hopes to provide insight on the equity of student experiences in teamwork through holistic inquiry.

The Impact of AUN-QA Certification on Strengthening Internal Quality Assurance Systems in Indonesian Higher Education: A Comparative Study of Mechanical Engineering Programs

The Impact of AUN-QA Certification on Strengthening Internal Quality Assurance Systems in Indonesian Higher Education: A Comparative Study of Mechanical Engineering Programs

Exploring Marzano Higher-Order Thinking Skills: Demographic Disparities Among Technical Students

Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) encompass the capacity to apply knowledge, skills, and values in comprehending, reflecting, solving problems, making decisions, innovating, and creating new ideas. These skills vary among individuals, especially in learning contexts, problem-solving, and product design. The goal of this study is to evaluate technical students' perceptions of their mastery of Marzano's Higher Order Thinking Skills. A total of 351 students, including those from Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering programs at Sultan Abdul Halim Muad'zam Shah Polytechnic, were randomly chosen as participants. This research employed a survey design with a quantitative approach, and data were analyzed using SPSS software, with results presented in terms of means, frequencies, and percentages. Findings suggest that overall, students' mastery of Marzano HOTS remains at a generally low level, except for four specific skills—analyzing error, constructing support, abstracting, and analyzing perspectives—which are rated at an intermediate level. On the contrary, nine HOTS areas were identified as being at a low level. An ETA analysis revealed a minimal positive correlation between Marzano HOTS mastery and variables such as gender, age, field of study, and year of study. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences were found in HOTS levels based on gender, age, and year of study. These outcomes suggest that students need further development in HOTS to better tackle learning challenges. The study also offers key insights that could assist TVET practitioners in developing more effective curricula and interventions for improving higher-order thinking skills among technical students.

The multiple, unique perspectives of mechanical engineering undergraduates about their program of study and their persistence

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to uncover and describe the multiple, divergent student viewpoints about an undergraduate mechanical engineering program at a public university in the US Midwest and their persistence in that program. This study uses Q methodology which mixes qualitative and quantitative research aspects to reveal and describe the multiple, unique viewpoints about any topic. Four unique views emerged from the study: ‘Smart, successful, but unhappy with program,’ ‘Faculty, scholarships, and co-ops are key,’ ‘Excited about engineering but discouraged by curving and grades,’ and ‘Well prepared but there’s a belonging problem.’ Consensus across these views indicates a shared desire of these students to have a successful career as a reason to choose engineering as a degree program and to persist in that program. This study demonstrates the diversity of perspectives regarding an undergraduate engineering program and has implications for all engineering undergraduate programs, regardless of their geographic location.

Incorporating Electrochemistry and Battery Technology in an Undergraduate Materials Science Course

Electrochemical devices and systems are ubiquitous in many engineering disciplines, yet basic electrochemistry principles are rarely covered in the typical undergraduate engineering curriculum. This presents a barrier for young engineers aspiring to make contributions to this fast-growing field, as well as primary investigators in electrochemical engineering at undergraduate-only institutions. In the field of mechanical engineering, one of the oldest and arguably the broadest engineering disciplines, energy storage and conversion are covered in depth at the undergraduate level. However, electrochemical energy storage and conversion are only briefly glanced, if at all. As part of curriculum development in a new undergraduate mechanical engineering program, electrochemistry fundamentals, with a focus on applications to battery technology, were deliberately incorporated into a second-year materials science course.Undergraduate materials science courses typically focus on general process-structure-property relationships of different engineering materials, and this course is no different. Instead of covering only traditional materials, significant time is also devoted to battery materials, which are very relevant and poised for exponential growth in this era of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The course includes instruction on basic electrochemical principles, a survey of functional materials used in common electrochemical devices and their properties, as well as a short lab project where students are guided through the steps of constructing a simple coin-cell lithium-ion battery, arguably the most dominant of all battery chemistries. Classroom discussion also includes the environmental impacts of sourcing raw battery materials and end-of-life disposal practices, which, given current projections, will lead to a substantial sustainability problem as the battery market grows with electric vehicle uptake. Emerging battery technologies that seek to address the challenges of the current generation of batteries are also introduced. Students are also asked to give a short presentation after researching additional topics in the field that are of interest to them. Overall, the course aims to help modernize the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum by incorporating electrochemistry principles and battery technology into a core course.

Implementation of Enquiry-Based Activity Modules for Authentic Learning in Engineering

Engineering education in the UK is evolving, moving away from traditional lecture-based teaching towards more engaging and practical methods. The purpose of this is to develop problem-solving and teamworking skills in a practical, authentic environment. Activity-based learning is gaining popularity as a way to better prepare students for real-world challenges. Northumbria University's Mechanical and Automotive Engineering programmes have embraced this approach by introducing dedicated activity-based learning modules in 2021. Activity-based learning emphasises practical skills, integrating labs and hands-on experiences. This bridges the gap between theory and practice, helping students apply their knowledge effectively. It fosters collaboration and teamwork, encouraging students to work together to solve problems and share ideas. The engineering programmes at Northumbria University include two 20-credit activity-based learning modules in foundation year and each of the first and second years of the main programmes. These modules become more complex and interdisciplinary as students’ progress. Assessment methods include technical reports, presentations, posters, and practical demonstrations. Despite its advantages, activity-based learning presents challenges, primarily around resourcing of space, equipment and materials. To overcome this, student interns helped review and develop a student-led maker space, a central hub for practical activities. This approach ensures that activities are engaging, relevant, and academically rigorous while creating a collaborative and creative environment. In summary, activity-based learning is a promising approach to engineering education in the UK. By emphasising practical skills, teamwork, and diverse assessment techniques, it better equips students to address complex issues and drive innovation in the field. This shift in pedagogy prepares students more effectively for the demands of the modern workplace.

A framework for integrating additive manufacturing into engineering education: perspectives of students and educators

ABSTRACT Additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP) offer unique opportunities for experiential learning and practical application in engineering education. In developed countries, AM is integrated into engineering education to train mechanical engineers. However, existing research has not investigated the integration of AM and 3DP into higher education in developing countries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with students and educators from mechanical engineering programmes in Vietnam to examine AM usage in engineering education. Our study revealed that no curricula or policies to integrate AM into classrooms exist in the participating institutions. Engineering schools are attempting to introduce 3DP to students through short courses, but educators have inadequate training. The lack of consistent communication among institutions has hindered the growth of 3DP education. Therefore, to meet the standards of Industry 4.0, it is crucial to have policies and funding in place to promote AM growth among first-year engineering students.

Exploring the Efficacy of Binary Surveys versus Likert Scales in Assessing Student Perspectives Using Bayesian Analysis

Likert-scale surveys are the undeniable protagonists of online evaluations. They ask the respondent to express their degree of agreement with a series of statements related to the development of a subject. In contrast, in social networks, dichotomous surveys are mostly used. They force respondents to polarize their opinions by selecting “like” or “dislike”. This study compares the efficacy of binary and Likert surveys in gathering student opinions on mechanical engineering program subjects. Using Bayesian analysis, it analyzes the similarity of responses obtained from both formats. For each question and scale, the ratio of “I like” among the total responses collected was calculated. The Bayesian factor method was used to compare the ratios obtained. The null hypothesis was equality between the ratios obtained by the different scales for the same question. This hypothesis was rejected in only 7 of the 49 questions evaluated—less than 15%. Finally, the students were surveyed on the preference for use of both scales. More than 80% stated a preference for the use of the dichotomous format. In view of the results obtained, we recommend more frequent use of the dichotomous scale to gather students’ opinions.

Hands-on engineering design in an undergraduate thermodynamics learning context

Hands-on engineering design is a critical element of quality engineering education commonly featured in the first and last year of undergraduate programs. Technical science and engineering coursework dominate the sophomore and junior year, often with fewer hands-on design experiences. We sought to mitigate this by integrating a hands-on engineering design project into a second-year thermodynamics-focused course for mechanical engineering students. We iterated on a heat-to-work device design project developed by Shepard and Hoxie to make it more open-ended, and to introduce a ‘who’ and a ‘why’ into the project by having students design devices to help hypothetical users accomplish tasks. We analyzed student reflections about the project using an inductive thematic approach. Our results indicate that the project was challenging; students consistently described experiencing failures. Most students were eventually able to succeed in the project using a combination of design iteration, risk-taking, and adaptation. They articulated growth in engineering design capabilities (including the valuation of simplicity in designs, brainstorming, applied learning, and time management), and increases in confidence (including takeaways about the importance of self-trust and intuition). In this paper, we present the revised project design and findings from its implementation using student and instructor reflections, and suggestions about how it could be implemented in thermodynamics courses for other mechanical engineering programs.

Linguistic and non-linguistic factors impacting EMI academic success: a longitudinal study

This study explored changes in English language proficiency and several non-linguistic factors during four years of English medium instruction (EMI) in two academic disciplines in a Turkish university setting. Moreover, it also investigated whether changes (if any) had a predictive impact on the academic success of EMI students. In addition, potential differences between disciplines were also investigated. The participants were 241 EMI students from Business Administration (n = 117) and Mechanical Engineering (n = 124) programmes. Our findings revealed that in addition to the language proficiency scores, various non-linguistic factors, including self-efficacy, ideal L2 self, motivation, self-regulation skills, and anxiety levels, changed throughout EMI education. However, only English proficiency and instrumental motivation emerged as positively significant predictors of EMI success.Our findings also revealed that the increase in participants' intrinsic motivation scores was a significant negative predictor of EMI success. These results are discussed and implications are given regarding the impact of linguistic and non-linguistic factors in EMI contexts.

Embedding Sustainability into Mechanical Engineering Master Programs—A Case Study of the Top Technical Universities in Europe

Considering the vital role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in accomplishing sustainable development goals, this study examines the ways in which sustainability is integrated into mechanical engineering master’s programs in the selected top technical universities in the EU. The content analysis was employed to evaluate the universities’ commitment to sustainability and approach to integrating sustainability into mechanical engineering programs. The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating SystemTM (STARS) credit AC1 was used as a reference to categorise the courses into sustainability-focused courses (SF) and courses that include sustainability content (SI). We used the Sustainability Tool for Auditing University Curricula in Higher Education (STAUNCH) to identify the sustainability-related topics integrated into the mechanical engineering programs. The empirical findings indicate that while all three top technical universities in Europe demonstrate a comprehensive commitment to sustainability, their approaches for integrating sustainability into their mechanical engineering master’s programs vary, leaving room for further improvements. The paper thoroughly analyses the top technical universities’ sustainability efforts, offering valuable insights for educators and institutions seeking to enhance sustainability integration in higher education curricula.

Analysis of Work Readiness Research Instruments for Vocational High School of the Mechanical Engineering Program

Objective: One of the levels of education in Indonesia is Vocational High School (VHS). VHS provides various skills programs, and VHS’s graduates should have greater opportunities to work based on their competencies. However, in East Java, most of the unemployed are VHS graduates. One of the skills programs at VHS is the Mechanical Engineering Skills program. The research purpose was to analyze the instrument research of work readiness vocational high school of the Mechanical Engineering program. Method: This research used a quantitative method. Instrument Work Readiness (WR) with variable problem-solving skills (PSS), Technology Skills (TS), Teamwork Skills (TWS) and Self-management Skills (SMS). Validity test of instrument used software Winstep Rasch analysis and reliability test of instrument used software Stata. The instrument, which has been validated by experts, was tested on 30 respondents. Results: aspect validity about test quality, model of legibility, and instrument sheet. Instrument validity of PSS was advisability 91.3%, CVR 0.92 and reliability 0.797, TS was advisability 93.6%, CVR 0.95 and reliability 0.491, TWS was advisability 90.3%, CVR 0.87 and reliability 0.798, SMS was advisability 92.6%, CVR 0.86 and reliability 0.941, WR advisability 95%, CVR 0.95 and reliability 0.946. Novelty: New model research instrument for measuring problem-solving skills, technology skills, teamwork skills, and self-management skills on the work readiness of students at Machining Engineering Vocational High School in East Java together. Machining engineering specially measured Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) competence likely design workpiece, CNC programming, programming simulation, and inputting CNC programming.

Work Readiness of Competencies Machining Engineering’s Student

Objective: Vocational High School or Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (VHS) is one of the levels of education in Indonesia. VHS provides various skills programs. VHS graduates should have more significant opportunities to work based on their competencies, but the most dominant unemployed were VHS graduates in East Java, Indonesia. VHS’s students must have work readiness and vocational competencies to reduce unemployment. The mechanical Engineering program encourages students to operate machines and produce goods. Machine CNC is one of the manufacturing industries. The research aims to analyze the influence of problem-solving, technology, teamwork, and self-management skills on the work readiness of VHS students in the Mechanical Engineering program. Method: This research used quantitative methods with a causality approach. The population was students of the Mechanical Engineering program in East Java Province in Indonesia. The random sampling technique was used with 377 respondents. Analysis data used SEM. Results: Problem-solving skills were 36.7% influenced by technology, teamwork, and self-management. Work readiness was 54.6% influenced by problem-solving skills. Novelty: The significant positive influence of problem-solving skills, technology skills, teamwork skills, and self-management skills on the work readiness of students at Machining Engineering Vocational High School in East Java simultaneously.

Hands-on and Project based Learning in Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) Course for the Undergraduate Students in Mechanical Engineering Program

The noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) course is crucial for mechanical engineering undergraduate students since it covers a wide range of engineering applications. It makes students ready for their careers in the area of NVH which has received attention from industry. The traditional treatment in teaching the course is mathematically challenging and might not be helpful for some undergraduates who are kinaesthetic learners. The explanation of topics can be facilitated by modern computation tools with simulation and visual capabilities in NVH course. These contemporary simulation tools make it feasible to more effectively and engagingly teach mathematically complex subjects to students for better understanding. This paper describes teaching NVH course in the Mechanical Engineering department at the KLE Technological University. Course is taught in two parts at 5th and 6th semester level. The first course is Mechanical vibrations and the second one Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Hands-on lab sessions with the simulation tool are included in the second course to give student in-depth understanding of concepts. Keywords—Vibration; FEA; Course project.

Factors Influencing the Work Interest of Mechanical Engineering Program Students of a Vocational High School in Yogyakarta

This study aimed to investigate the effects of 1) self-competence, 2) social motivation, 3) labor market, 4) self-competence, social motivation, and labor market on the work interest of Vocational High School (VHS) students. This study employed the ex-post facto design with the regressional approach. The population in this study consisted of 306 students of Class XII of the mechanical engineering expertise program in a vocational high school in the city of Yogyakarta. The sample size was determined using Issac & Michael’s table. The participants of this study were 170 vocational high school students. The sample was collected using purposive sampling, and data were collected through a survey. The collected data were then analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis which was applied for hypothesis testing. The results of this study show that (1) self-competence has a positive and significant effect on work interest (effectiveness value = 48.6%, rcount = 0.697, and tcount = 12.602); (2) social motivation has a positive and significant effect on work interest (effectiveness value = 58%, rcount = 0.762, and tcount = 15.236; (3) job market has a positive and significant effect on the work interest (effectiveness value = 70%, rcount = 0.837, and tcount = 19.821), and (4) self-competence, social motivation, and labor market collectively have a significant effect on the work interest with a percentage of 73.1% and the calculated value of 0.855. The effective contribution value of the self-ability variable is 10%, the social motivation variable is 12.7%, and the labor market variable is 50.4%. The relative contribution of the self-competence variable is 13.5%, the social motivation variable is 17.4%, and the labor market variable is 69%.

Implementation of the SMK Manufacturing Engineering Drawing Learning Model in Sleman

This study aimed to examine the effects of implementing a learning model for manufacturing engineering drawing on students’ learning achievement in Vocational High School (VHS) in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This study employed the quantitative descriptive method. The population in this study was all students of class XII of the mechanical engineering program at some VHSs. Using proportionate stratified random sampling, 142 out of 240 students from five VHSs were selected as the research participants. The results of this study show that the five VHSs implemented different learning models, namely project-based learning and discovery learning models. The percentage of Project-based Learning Model implementation in state vocational high schools SMKN 1 Sayegan and SMKN 2 Depok is 79%. Meanwhile, the percentage of discovery learning implementation in SMK Muhammadiyah Prambanan, SMK Nasional Berbah, and SMK Piri Sleman is 72%. Therefore, based on the student learning achievement, project-based learning is better than discovery learning.

Concept of an elementary work as introduction to the line integral in engineering studies

The paper is devoted to the line integral topic belonging to the section of vector calculus in Mathematical Analysis applied to the undergraduate Mechanical Engineering program. An efficient way of teaching line integrals is proposed and developed based on the elementary work/force principles. By this way, the mathematical concept of the line integral is supposed to be learned in harmony with the elementary mechanics to appreciate its diversity and to set up the right idea about the scientific area covered by Mechanical Engineering and related academic and technical fields. In terms of practical training, the research also offers two new techniques of analytical calculus for line integrals containing singularities and provides a new coherent engineering approach to deal with vector fields as integrands in line integrals.

Implementation and benefits of hybrid methodology: Flipped classroom and project-based learning in mechanical engineering courses

This research article introduces a hybrid methodology encompassing project-based learning (PjBL) and flipped classroom (FC) approaches. It is aimed to advance the comprehension of the implementation and benefits of FC and PjBL methodologies, particularly within engineering education. The hybrid methodology was implemented in a Mechanical Engineering program during the first semester of 2022. It was designed to address synchronous class restrictions caused by the pandemic, leading to online classes via the Microsoft Teams platform. The population consisted of 101 students from various semesters and courses. Implementation involved quizzes, workshops, a classroom project, and personal challenges as evaluation activities. The FC materials included explanatory videos, solved problems, readings, and slides. These materials were organised on the Moodle platform. The research employed quantitative and qualitative methodologies, formulating five hypotheses and designing a 14-indicator survey. The data were analysed using statistical methods such as Cronbach's alpha, Guttman's split-half, Kolmogorov–Smirnov, KMO analysis, Bartlett's test, principal component analysis, Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA, and Spearman's rho. Results indicated excellent reliability of the survey indicators, non-parametric data, and good adequacy of the proposed structure. Analysis indicated that the implementation of this methodology leads to significant benefits in terms of satisfaction, emotional engagement and stimulation levels, resulting in more effective learning and preference over the traditional approach. The perception of technology, timing, and content of videos varied among different courses. Positive comments from students supported the benefits of the hybrid methodology. It was recommended to improve the selection and quality of study materials.

Preface

The International Conference on Applications and Design in Mechanical Engineering 2023 (ICADME 2023) was held on 4th and 5th September 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ICADME 2023 was organized by the Mechanical Engineering Programme, under the purview of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis.The ICADME 2023 aims to provide a platform for participants from diverse field of Mechanical Engineering backgrounds to exchange ideas and findings to promote cooperation, networking as well as knowledge sharing in both engineering practice and research in higher education. The conference includes the fields of i) Material Science & Engineering, ii) Design & Manufacturing, iii) Energy & Thermofluids, iv) Robotics, Automation & Control System as well as v) Biomechanics. The conference received 37 papers from Malaysia and other countries over the world. After a rigorous peer-review process, 28 papers were accepted. The accepted papers that focused on theory, applications, design and experimental studies relevant to mechanical engineering fields were invited to present in this conference.We want to express our gratitude to all reviewers, both local and international, for their time and effort in reviewing the papers. Their feedbacks to the authors have been excellent and useful to ensure the high quality of papers for the conference. Our sincere thanks also go to all sponsors for their generosity. Last but not least, we would like to thank the organizing committee members for their hard work, cooperation and insights in ensuring the success of this conference.List of Editors are available in the pdf.

Influence of Emotional Intelligence, Digital Literacy, and Student Self- Efficacy on Job Readiness of the Mechanical Engineering Skills Program at Vocational Schools in Yogyakarta City

This study aims to analyze (1) the relationship of emotional factors to student work readiness in the Mechanical Engineering Expertise program at the Yogyakarta City Vocational High School. (2) digital skills on the student's work readiness in the Machining Engineering Expertise program at the Yogyakarta City Vocational School (3) self-efficacy towards student work readiness in the Mechanical Engineering Expertise program at the Yogyakarta City Vocational School (4) the effect of self-efficacy on student work readiness in the Mechanical Engineering Expertise program at the Yogyakarta City Vocational School. The method used was quantitative research. This research was conducted in five vocational high schools (VHS) of the Mechanical Engineering program in Yogyakarta. The subjects in this study were students in class XI. The population in this study amounted to 296 respondents. Sampling was determined using the purposive sampling technique with a total sample size of 184 respondents. The data collection technique uses a questionnaire on a Likert scale with four answer choices. Data analysis techniques using descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression analysis showed that (1) emotional intelligence has an average value of 31.9 in the good category and affects work readiness by 10.11% with t count > t table (4,500 > 1,653). (2) Digital literacy has an average value of 31.15 in the good category, and digital literacy affects work readiness by 2.99% with t count > t table (2.355 > 1.653). (3) Self- efficacy has an average value of 38.51 in the good category and affects work readiness by 30.25% with t count > t table (8.843 > 1.653). (4) Emotional intelligence, digital literacy, and self-efficacy simultaneously contribute 61.6% with F count > F table (98.798 > 2.65). Based on the study's results, emotional intelligence, digital literacy, and self-efficacy positively and significantly influence job readiness